Slow Burn
by TheRussian
Summary: AU. Two years after the 4th DOA Tournament. Kokoro has gone back to training. But things get complicated... Comprised of multiple titles in the story line. KokoroxOC
1. An Awkward Meeting

_Slow Burn_

Chapter One:

"An Awkward Meeting"

"Where is he? He's going to be late, and I'll get into trouble … again." Kokoro frantically whispered to her mother, Miyako, who tried her best to calm her daughter. "Why does he have to do this?" Miyako frowned, unable to answer her daughter. Kokoro checked her bag for her cell phone, a missed text message showed on the display.

" 'Sry koko, cant b there 4 the rest of the week. : ( Jin' " Her heart sank. She could cry she was so mad.

"This was important and he knew it mom." she put her phone away quickly as her instructor walked over. She bowed knowing what was coming. Her mother walked out of the room.

"Kokoro, where is Jin? You two should be stretching for the lesson." her instructor said with a raised eye brow.

"He is not coming for the rest of the week, teacher." Kokoro was angry now. He teacher began to scold her.

"Again!? This boy will be the end of you Kokoro. He misses at least half of the lessons, now most of the lessons for these last slow dancing techniques?" Her voice rose, the other three pairs of students watching. The instructor paused for a moment, catching herself almost yelling. "Just find a different partner by tomorrow, okay? You can get the last half of the week in there." Kokoro bowed, and turned to walk out of the room.

She couldn't look up, she was too mad. "When I see him, I'm going to kill him." she thought to herself. She was walking in the hallway of the hotel when she failed to see a person so close to her. They collided but she was caught before either of them fell.

"You okay there?" a voice asked kindly, in unsure Japanese.

"I am fine, thank you. I am very sorry about it." she said taking as step back, but still looking down at her feet. She looked up to see a rather tall American smiling down at her. She bowed instinctively. "Sorry."

"Its fine." he said, he paused for short moment. "Are you okay? You look like you need to sit down." She couldn't help but look up at him.

"No, I am alright… my dance partner did not show up again. I got in trouble for it again." she thought for a moment, "But are you busy?"

He blinked, and then paused. "I'm not, but I can't really dance well." She smiled.

"It's slow dancing, you can do that right?" He nodded reluctantly. "Could you spare and hour to be my partner today?" Again he nodded. She smiled. "Well my name is Kokoro." She saw her mother raise an eye brow as she watched, out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm Matt." She placed her hand out, he shook it. She walked back over to the door. "But isn't it a formal dance class?"

Turning around, "Why do you ask? My kimono?" He nodded. "It doesn't have to be. Let us hurry inside." she replied with a smile. He followed her into the room somewhat reluctantly, meeting confused looks from the others in the room. Kokoro looked at him, "Wait here for a moment."

"Alright." he said. She could tell he was nervous, so she smiled at him. She moved to her teacher.

"Kokoro, what is this?"

"I found a partner. May I participate in the lesson today?"

Her teacher paused, looking the boy over. "Where did you find him?"

"I met him outside, and I asked him if he would be my partner today. So here I am."

"Well, a bad partner is better than no partner I suppose. Take your places." Kokoro bowed and went back over to Matt.

She led him down to her spot on the floor. The other three couples starred at him, giggling. "Don't worry about them, okay?" He only looked down at her to acknowledge her, no smile. Miyako entered the room to watch. Kokoro made herself ignore her, or she'd get too nervous. "See, there's only another dancer in a kimono. Everyone else is dressed normally." He smiled slightly.

The teacher instructed the students on how far to stand away from their partner, and where to put their hands on their partner. Kokoro suddenly was glad she had grown four inches in the two years since the Fourth Dead or Alive Tournament, she was five feet six inches but he was at least six inches taller than she was. She placed her arms around his neck and had her back to her mother. He nervously placed his arm around her and laid his hand on her back, she smiled to try to comfort him. "Go on, I'm not going to hit you." she urged him with a kind smile. He smiled back, and placed his hand on her side above her left hip. "Was that so hard?" she smiled again. He gave a sarcastic look to her, but smiled.

After an hour the lesson ended. "Thank you very much, Matt. I enjoyed dancing with you today." she shook his hand again. "I enjoyed it more than I did with Jin…" she thought to herself. She bowed and he began to walk up the stairs when she stopped him, "You're staying here?"

He laughed, "Yes."

"If I can't find another partner for tomorrow, are you free?" she smiled, feeling the heat from her mother's shocked gaze on her.

"Sure, I'm on the first room on the left on the third floor if you need me." he said with a smile. She waived.

"Have a good evening."

"You too, Kokoro." He walked up the stairs. Kokoro turned to meet her angry mother. "What? He is a good partner."

"He seemed like a good boy, for a westerner." her mother said quietly. Kokoro frowned a little.

"Then you don't approve mother?"

"Let's just get home, dear." Miyako said walking for the door. They returned home, with little conversation between them.

After they ate their dinner, Kokoro took a shower. After that she laid on her bed for a while just staring up at the ceiling. Suddenly she remembered him. She really liked him it seemed, he held her just the right way when they danced earlier that day. She suddenly remembered it was late and she didn't look for a new partner. "Could he be that bad of a choice?" she whispered to herself.

She stood up, and walked to her mother's door. The door was open, so she crept in, to see her mother's back turned, watching the news, Kokoro smiled. She snuck up behind her mother and just put her arms around her. "I love you, mother."

Her mother put her arms around her daughter's. "I love you too, Kokoro."

There was a long pause. Kokoro finally broke it, "Do you really not approve of him?"

"Who? That boy from earlier?"

"Yes, and his name is Matt." Miyako raised an eye brow.

"It is not my place to decide whether or not he is your partner. Just be careful with western boys." Kokoro blinked and blushed a little and released her mother who turned to look at her.

"You say that like I've fallen for him."

"Oh?" she mother smirked, "So he's just convenient?"

". . ." Kokoro looked down.

"Then why do you bring him up so late?"

"I. . . I forgot to look for a new partner. . ." Miyako sighed.

"Decide for good tomorrow." Kokoro looked back up at her mother. "But I did notice that you to worked well together, well with he not being very good." Kokoro smiled at her mother's words.

"He was nervous," she smiled, her bubbly personality showing. "particularly about putting his hands on me, like I would get mad at him if he made the slightest mistake."

"Did he mess up at all?" He mother replied, with a smile.

"Actually, he did several times." they both laughed a little. "He lost his balance and almost dropped me halfway through!"

"Oh really? That's funny!" Kokoro nodded. "But you like dancing with him?"

"Very much so, mother." she said. "He was okay when I told him 'not to worry' or 'its okay' after each time. He thought I was mad, so I just wanted to comfort him a little."

"That's good of you, dear, but it is late, so go get some rest. Goodnight."

Kokoro hugged her mother and stood up, "Goodnight, mother." and went to bed.


	2. Third Time's The Charm

_Slow Burn_

Chapter Two:

"Third Time's the Charm"

The next morning, Kokoro woke to the sun's light in her eyes. She sat up, rubbed her eyes. Her stomach growled. Wearily, she slid out of bed and looked at her clock. "Only ten o'clock?" she said to herself. Then stretched and proceeded to do her usual retinue of morning exercises, 50 push-ups, 50 sit-ups, 50 crunches, plus 30 oblique crunches for each side. It always helped her wake up in the mornings. She walked into the kitchen and sat down next to her mother. "Good morning, mother!" she said happily.

"Good morning dear," her mother smiled. "Did you get enough sleep last night?" Kokoro was busy mixing various fruit juices together, and was in the middle of a gulp when her mother finished her sentence.

She smiled and she caught her breath. "I did, I slept unusually well, too."

Miyako, smiling, asked, "Any idea why, sweetheart?"

"Not sure, I must have been tired yesterday."

"Well, when you get finished with everything, you have dance again today." Kokoro, smiled.

"Yes, mother."

"Think he'll be there?" her mother asked casually.

"He said he would." Miyako was please with her daughter's optimism.

After breakfast Kokoro got up and went into her room. "What to wear today?" she said with a finger on her bottom lip. She looked down at what she slept in: a pair of dark blue shorts and a plain white t-shirt. She decided on a blue shirt and dark grey wide legged pants that stopped above her ankles. She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth after she changed.

She did her chores and her training for the day, excitedly. "My Kokoro, you _are_ in a good mood today, aren't you?" her mother commented while they ate lunch together. Soon afterward they left for the hotel.

"Mother, why is it that I am taught these techniques in a _hotel_ and not in a _dance studio?_"

"Because, dance studios are very expensive, Kokoro, and they only cater to larger groups. So as you know there aren't many geisha left in Japan, much less here." Kokoro nodded, though disappointed with the answer.

When they arrived Kokoro walked up the stairs to Matt's room. "The first room on the left of the third floor." she whispered to herself on the way up. As the ascended the last steps of the last flight of stairs she saw him come out of his room. She couldn't help but smile as wide as she could. "Good afternoon, Matt. Are you ready for today?"

"I am, if you need me." he said as he smiled back at her. They walked down the stairs together, Miyako near the door to the make shift classroom.

"Matt, this is my mother, Miyako." Miyako bowed and smiled.

"Hello Matt, glad to formally meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine." They shook hands.

Kokoro spoke up after a moment, "We needn't be late." She pushed him into the room. He seemed a little surprised at her strength. As they walked through the door and onto the floor, the teacher gave a raised eye brow. Kokoro bowed.

"Alright class, you proceeded well yesterday, so there is little need for further instruction of this dance. Just continue practicing with your partner."

Kokoro stepped close to Matt, "Ready?" she asked as she placed her arms up, around his neck. He only nodded, as he placed his hands at her back and above her hip, less nervously than the first time, though still nervously. "Nervous about holding me?" she whispered.

"A little…yes." he said quietly. She smiled.

"Don't be. I am not going to hurt you if you mess up."

"Like yesterday?"

"I found that funny to be perfectly honest."

"I told you I can't dance well."

"I don't care. I have a partner who is more fun to be close to than the one that got me into trouble all the time." He blinked for a moment. "By the way, do you want to get dinner with me tomorrow night?" There was a pause. "It's okay. You don't have to, if you don't want to." She diverted her eyes from him and to the floor.

"That's not it at all, I was thinking if I was busy then." he said with a smile.

"…are you?" she asked quietly. He shook his head. She smiled. They continued to talk together quietly for the remainder of the lesson. At the end Kokoro turned to see her mother walk out of the room, along with everyone else. She turned to him. He looked at her questioningly. "So you're from America?" He nodded. "Is there a girl waiting for you?" He paused and shook his head.

"Nope." he said plainly. She ran up and hugged him tightly. With a grunt, he got out, "Geez, you're pretty strong for a girl…" She just squeezed harder.

"C'mon." she said with a giggle. She released him and he caught his breath. "Tomorrow?"

"Awesome." No one was looking so she hugged him again but kissed him on the cheek lightly before she let him go this time. He just looked at her is a sort of bewilderment. "See you tomorrow." she said sweetly and innocently as she left with her mother. And he walked up the stairs.

This night went about like the first except he was on her mind a lot more. He mother wasn't the happiest about her dinner plans but could do very little about it.

Then next morning was much the same, she was a little early waking up at 9:45, but it didn't really matter. She exercised and went to eat breakfast with her mother.

As she walked into the room her mother's eyes followed her to the table where she sat down next to her. "Good morning, dear."

"Good morning, mother."

"Are you tired still?" Kokoro nodded. "How late were you up?"

Kokoro looked up at the ceiling, "Um… I went to bed a midnight, but I didn't fall asleep for a while." She looked back at her mother and smiled.

"Uh-huh. Eat sweetheart." Miyako motioned to her daughter's food. Kokoro mixed her usual cocktail of fruit juices and finished her breakfast. Her day went by as normal until the time came to go to class. As they were leaving, her mother turned to her, "Kokoro, when you go to dinner with this boy…" Kokoro smiled.

"Don't worry, mother, I will be careful." Kokoro hugged her mother. Miyako smiled. When they arrived, Matt was already waiting for them. Kokoro smiled and greeted him. "Hello, Matt. How have you been today?"

"I've been okay."

As they were walking into the room, the quiet of the area was interrupted, "Sorry I haven't been here Koko!" She turned to see Jin walking through the door. "Are you ready to dance today?" He saw Matt next to her.

"What are you doing here, Jin?" she asked.

"I _am_ your partner." he responded, smugly. Kokoro shook her head.

"You _were_ my partner. You skipped out on me, so I found a new one, and I like to dance with him more that I like to dance with you."

"Is he better than me?" he asked venomously.

"That's beside the point!" She was becoming aggravated.

The instructor interrupted them, "Ah! Jin, glad you could join us today! Kokoro will you be dancing with Jin today?" she asked, looking at the American. Matt, was just standing there watching, waited for the 'See you later,' It never came.

"No ma'am. I'm keeping Matt as my partner for the duration of the lesson."

"These are the last ones." her teacher commented.

"It doesn't matter. Matt is my partner for this. I'll see you later Jin." and she walked into the room with Matt beside her, she led him alongside her. Jin just shook his head and walked off. Miyako just raised an eye brow and sighed, and followed them inside.

The instructor gave the same instructions as the day before, so Kokoro just slid her arms around his neck again and smiled. Still nervous, he placed an arm around to her back and a hand above her hip. She smiled. "Is it easier this time?"

"Not really."

"Why not?" He shrugged. "That doesn't make much sense."

"Not much does, apparently." He smiled. She raised an eye brow.

"And what, exactly, does that mean, Matt?"

"Well, he's better than me…why would you keep me?"

She smiled, "It is because you have been dancing this dance with me for longer than he danced with me, so you know it better than he would." He just looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "That and I like dancing with you more than I like to dance with him. Mostly that reason though." she whispered with a smile.

"Really…why?" She smiled and shrugged. He smiled back. The rest of their last dance went well, and at the end she hugged him again and thanked him for being her partner. "It's nothing really. It was my pleasure to help you."

"Mine too." She smiled "Are we still having dinner together?" He nodded. "Well I will and come find you, here in an hour or two, after I get ready. Nothing too fancy, okay?" He smiled and nodded. "Well, I'll see you in a little while." she said waiving as she left with her mother.


	3. Explosive Chemistry

_Slow Burn_

Chapter Three:

"Explosive Chemistry"

As soon as Kokoro got home she hurried to get ready as fast as she could. She jumped in the shower. She went to her room, calmer now but in a lighter mood. And opened her closet. "Hmmm… what should I wear?" she said aloud to herself, again with the finger on her bottom lip. She stood there for a good five minutes.

Her mother walked in, "Get dressed, you'll get sick."

Kokoro replied without looking at her, "I have a towel on, I won't get sick."

"That's what I meant dear. But, how long have you been starring at your clothes?"

"I don't know, am I running late?"

"No. What do you think he would like to see you in? Colorwise." Kokoro looked at her.

"I have no Earthly idea, mother." Miyako walked to her daughter's closet and took out a brightly colored floral patterned short dress.

"This maybe?"

Kokoro smiled, "I'll try it out, mother." Ten minutes later she emerged from her room with the dress, which left her shoulders bare and went down three-quarters of the way to her knees, black leggings underneath that, going three inches beyond her knee, and a dark jacket in hand. "Do you like it?" Kokoro asked. Her mother smiled and Kokoro ran up to her and embraced her.

"Are you ready?"

"No, not yet… hair and makeup then I'll be ready." she said walking back to her room.

"Well do hurry! It's already six o'clock!" A half-hour later she emerged from her room again, this time with some make up and her hair done up a little bit. "Kokoro, I think you've out done yourself." Kokoro blushed.

"It's only a little lip gloss, some powder and some mascara…"

"And your hair? Perfume?"

"I combed it and conditioned it, but little else, and I am only wearing a little perfume."

"Is this a date?" Miyako abruptly asked.

"I don't think so…" her daughter replied, surprised by the question still. "…am I over dressed?" He mother shook her head and hugged her daughter.

"That does smell nice…" Kokoro laughed. "Need me to walk with you?"

"Shouldn't be necessary, mother, but thank you. It's not a far walk."

"Call me when you meet him."

"Okay, mother. I love you."

"Love you too, have a nice time." She heard her daughter leave.

Kokoro made the short walk through the country town in about fifteen minutes, and called her mother. She then walked into the front door and up the stairs. Second floor. She could feel her heartbeat race. Third floor. She felt like her heart was going to burst it was pounding so fast and so hard. She knocked on his door. It seemed like an hours, but it took him but a few moments to open the door for her. He greeted her with a kind smile.

"Well, here I am!" He just smiled and starred at her. She blushed slightly. She looked him over, a polo shirt and jeans. "You look nice. I was worried."

"Really…?" he asked.

"I was a little worried you would look better than me." she said with a smile.

He smiled, "Thanks, but you look better, so no worries." She smiled wider. "So, uh, where are we going?"

"How much can you spend? Sorry to ask though…" she said with a slight worry.

"Nothing too classy, please, but I have enough." She smiled at him.

"Um, I know a nice little place. Do you like stew?"

"I like it well enough. But let me get my bag real quick." he replied. He ran inside and returned with a small backpack after only a moment.

"Ready now?" she joked. He nodded. "Well let's go." She led him down the street to a little restaurant. They went in and were greeted by a young woman.

"Good evening. Will it be just the two of you?" Kokoro nodded to the girl. "Follow me, you two." With that the girl let them back to a table in the back of the restaurant. "Here you go. I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders."

"Thank you." Kokoro said and the girl walked away. "So," Kokoro asked pulling out a menu, "Have you ever eaten here?"

"No, I've only been in town for two weeks."

"Where have you been eating?"

"Fast food." he smiled sheepishly. She looked at him blankly. "What? Am I going to die?" he asked with some urgency.

"Kokoro only laughed, "No, you aren't going to die over Japan's fast food." He sighed in a little relief. "You have been missing out though. Do you mind if I order for you?" He shook his head.

"Go right ahead." he said with a smile.

"Okay, so are you allergic to anything?"

"Um, oranges and fruits like that."

"What about fish?"

"I don't really like it that much…" Kokoro stood up and walk to his side of the table and sat down next to him. "Um…"

"Relax, I going to get your help choosing for you." she said in a happy tone. "Beef? Chicken? Are you a vegetarian?"

"Beef is good." he said with a smile.

"Great. So let's see here. Rice?" He nodded. "Good."

"What is it?" he questioned.

"You'll see. I like it too. Do you want to share a bunch of it?" He smiled.

"Why not?" She switched back over the other side of the table, again.

"Are you thirsty?" Kokoro asked. He smiled. "Yeah, me too." Shortly after that the waitress returned, with a little tea.

"What are you eating tonight?"

"The beef stew with vegetables." The girl looked at Matt. "You too?" He nodded. "What will you have to drink?"

"This is fine for me." Kokoro nodded.

"Me too." Matt added.

"Alright, I'll be back in a few moments with your food." she said and walked away.

"So, Matt, tell me about yourself, if you don't mind." she learned forward.

"Well, there's not too much to me."

"I still want to hear about it, but don't let me force you." she said with an eager smile.

"If you want." he said with a smile. "I grew up in America and graduated from high school two years ago. I went off to college and I'm spending the summer here."

"How old are you? Twenty?"

"I am." he replied.

"When is your birthday?"

"January of 1990."

"Really? I was born that year, in December."

"So you're nineteen?"

"Until December first." she said with a smile.

"Nice. So you graduated…" he asked.

"Two years ago. I graduated a year early, home school." Matt nodded with a smile. "So you are in college?" He nodded. "For what?" she asked.

"Fine Arts." She almost laughed.

"You don't strike me as an artist."

"I shower." She laughed.

"So, you really are an artist?"

"I would hope so." he said with a grin.

"So what do you draw?"

"Whatever inspires me."

"Well, tell me this: what do you _like_ to draw?"

"Whatever inspires me." he repeated with a smile.

"Alright, like people or things?" He raised an eye brow. "Do you like to draw people? Things like flowers or houses?"

"I suppose people can be interesting." he replied. She smiled. The girl returned with their food.

"Enjoy!" she said sweetly.

"Thank you." the two said in unison.

"You can eat with chopsticks right?" Kokoro asked.

"Usually." he said quietly. She laughed.

"Usually? What does that mean?"

"I can most of the time, but there are days it's hopeless."

"Is today a good day for you to eat with chopsticks." He picked his up, and held them. She laughed and took his hand. "Like this." she said with a smile, as she repositioned the chopsticks in his hand.

"Like this?" she nodded and smiled. Then paused.

"Did you get me to help you when you didn't need it?" she said after a moment. He shrugged. She laughed. "Hmmm. I'll give you that one." she said with a smile.

"Well what about you? Tell me about yourself, if you please."

"I am nineteen. I am a geisha in training." He blinked. "Surprised?"

"No, not really. It makes sense now. Do go on." he said with a warm smile.

"I went to college for piano, I graduated last month."

"Congratulations!"

"Thank you very much." she said, accompanying it with a sweet smile. "I am an only child, my father disappeared after I was born and my mother moved here from the city. So I'm only half Japanese."

"That doesn't matter, or it shouldn't."

"It does to some people, school was … difficult because of it."

"Well those people are, were, ignorant. Don't worry about those who don't matter." he said with a comforting smile. She smiled and nodded in agreement after a moment.

After about half an hour of talking they finished their meal. "I'll pay for you, Kokoro." he smiled.

"No, no. You don't need to." she smiled.

"I'd like to. It isn't much." he shrugged.

"Well, since you really want to… but still I cannot let you _this time_." and with that she paid for herself as he smiled at her. They left and walked back toward his hotel. She took his hand as they walked. He looked at her with a shocked surprised look, she smiled sweetly back. "I'm just kidding." she laughed, disappointed inside. They got much closer the hotel, around a block or two, when it suddenly exploded.

Matt grabbed Kokoro and moved her behind a building to shield them from debris from the explosion. She hugged him, but found she couldn't make herself let go. She wondered was it fear or something else. He failed to notice this as he was busy looking at the hotel.

"Really? Really!?" he said aloud sarcastically, and in English. "I stay in the hotel that the terrorists blow up…sounds like my luck."

"Thank you, Matt." she whispered to him. He didn't respond to her. Kokoro became less and less pleased at the lack of attention, so removed her arms from around his body and slid them around his neck. She pulled him down and got his attention with a kiss.

"You can stay with my mother and me for a few days." she said after she released him. He nodded but didn't speak, he only stared. "And you have horrible luck. You're right." He looked back down at her. She looked up. "What?"

A pause, "You understood me?"

"English is a second language here." He looked at her still. "Yes I did." She smiled as sweetly as she could. "Let me call my mother." she commented as she produced her phone from her jacket pocket.

"Mother, Matt needs a place to stay. May he stay in the guest room?"

"Um, kicked out of his hotel room?"

"Not really. Considering it was just bombed."

"WHAT!?" her mother screamed, making Kokoro move the phone away from her ear. "When!?"

"Just now."

"Just come home, bring him with you."

"Alright mother. I'm on my way. I love you."

"I love you too." Kokoro hung up.

"Let's go. You'll stay in the guestroom."

"Thank you." She nodded, and took his hand. He laughed.

"A bomb just went off… you're going to hold me this close to you all of the way home." she whispered. He pulled her a little closer.

Author's Note:

Sorry it was a slow start, and it was dialog ridden. It'll speed up from here.


	4. Brought to You by A Bomb

_Slow Burn_

Chapter Four:

"Brought to You by a Bomb"

As they approached her house Kokoro squeezed Matt's hand to stop him, she turned to him. He looked down questioningly. He started to say something, but she didn't want to hear it and showed what she would rather have by gently kissing him on the lips. He blinked down at the young woman for a moment, her sweet smile shining up at him. "Not a word about that to my mother, okay??" He nodded.

"Then why did you do it? You sound like it as though you shot someone." She giggled quietly and pecked him once more.

"It's not that, just you're really the first boy I've kissed for real." He gave her a puzzled look. She smiled and sighed. "I've never kissed a boy on the lips before, I mean they've kissed me on the lips but I never kissed back. If that makes any sense." He smiled and nodded. Happy, she hugged him, her heart racing still from the explosion. "So you're technically the first boy I have _ever_ kissed." she said with a smile. "Let's go, my mother is worried sick. I don't want to keep her waiting too much longer." she said as they started back toward her home. They entered the front door. "Mother?" Kokoro called out as she took off her shoes, Matt following suit.

Suddenly, a figure threw itself at the young woman and called her name, "Kokoro! Dear, are you alright?" Miyako was hugging her daughter, and kissing her on the cheek and forehead. She also completely failed to notice the tall American in the corner, who had an awkward look on his face, like he wanted to leave but couldn't so he looked at the walls and ceiling and floor _anything_ but the scene of motherly love before him. Kokoro blushed red, Miyako raised an eye brow.

Kokoro, noticing this, said to her mother, "I'm fine, mother, thanks to Matt here." Miyako suddenly noticed him, and all at once realized why her daughter was blushing. The more she realized about it the more she herself blushed. All of this made Matt's expression become even more awkward, Kokoro looked at her mother who was studying her daughter's face. Kokoro whispered, "…what?" she asked with a concerned look.

"Come with me, please. It will just be a second." Kokoro nodded.

"I'll be right back, okay Matt?" He smiled in response. Kokoro's mother rounded the corner and starred at her daughter. "What?"

"Your make up its messed up. Did you two…?" She trailed off. Kokoro wide-eyed just starred at her mother. "Well? Did you?"

"No!" she asserted quietly, "No we did not! I just kissed him, plus we did go out to eat. Why would you worry about that?"

"We'll you're nineteen, and I saw how you looked at him."

"That doesn't mean we had sex!" she exclaimed quietly.

"I know. I didn't want it to sound like this, but I didn't want you taken advantage over, and you're makeup hasn't ever been messed up…"

Kokoro looked in a mirror in the hallway. "A smudge? That tiny smudge!? It's only like half of a millimeter! How closely were you looking?" He mother raised an eye brow. Kokoro sighed and hugged her mother. "I kissed him, which is a first. I'm still a virgin so don't worry about that either mom." she whispered into her mother's ear. She released her mother.

"You mean tonight was the first kiss you have ever had?"

"It was the first time I made the move, the first time I kissed the boy rather than the boy kissing me."

"How many times?"

"Why does that matter?"

"I just want to know." her mother smiled sweetly. Kokoro let out a sigh.

"Only twice, both times I kissed him on the lips. I had kissed him once or twice on the cheek before today." Her mother raised an eye brow at that. "What? It was on the cheek, and they were yesterday."

"You like him don't you?"

"I think so…so far. I enjoyed getting to know him tonight." she said as she started to go fetch her guest from his solitude. He mother did not follow, though Kokoro heard a sigh from her as she was walking into the hallway.

When he saw her he smiled, "Is everything okay?" She nodded in response.

"Let me show you to your room." she said leading him into the hallway. They arrived at the guest room seconds later, he walked in after her. She noticed he had the backpack still. "What's all in that bag, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Extra clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, passport, necessary things."

"I'm glad you got them before we left then." she said as she approached him, hugging him when she was close enough. "Thank you for getting us out of the way."

"It was nothing. Honest." She just squeezed him a little.

She laid he head against his chest. She listened to his heartbeat. "Your heartbeat is so slow, but it's so loud. Are you excited or nervous?" He shrugged. "Are you scared to wrap your arms around me in my home?" He wasn't answering so she squeezed.

"It may have a bit to do with that."

"It's a hug. Hug me." she said with a squeeze, quickly followed by his arms around her. She closed her eyes for a moment, only opening the eye capable of seeing out into the hallway. A few moments after this her mother passed by the door, eye brow raised. Kokoro smiled back. She finally releases him after a ten minute embrace. Smiling, she kissed him once more, and backing out of the room with a smile, "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, sleep well, Kokoro." The sentiment made her knees weak, but she turned, waved and went to her room on the other side of the house.

She got ready to change into long pajama pants and a white t-shirt. She looked at the short dress for a long moment. "He said I looked nice…" she whispered to herself.

"Dear, you're going to get sick." Kokoro slid a shirt on, and smiled at her mother. "Did it go well?"

"Yes it did." she said with a satisfied tone. Her mother walked in. "Did you give him a goodnight kiss?"

Lost in thought, she snapped back to the real world. "What?" she asked gently.

"Did you kiss him goodnight? You were in there for how long?"

"I was hugging him, but yes I did kiss him goodnight."

"Is he gentle?" Kokoro shrugged. "No?"

"I don't really know. He's the nervous kind with me." she said with a laugh. "He hasn't really kissed me yet, and I had to comfort him into hugging me in the guest room. I held him first and he was too nervous to do anything because we we're in my house." Kokoro said, removing her socks.

"That's fairly strange." Kokoro shrugged again.

"I think it's sweet to be honest. I mean, it's better than him being overconfident and doing the opposite. So I'm pretty certain he's a respectful boy. It doesn't bother me."

"But… won't that get annoying after a while."

"I'm already trying to cure it." she smiled. "Give it a while, mother. He'll be hugging _me_ in a couple of weeks." Her mother smiled.

"So he isn't lecherous?" Kokoro shook her head.

"I doubt it. He doesn't have the personality."

"Is he a good kisser?" Kokoro paused suddenly.

She looked at her mother, who had a sly smirk on her face. She paused then exclaimed, "Oh my goodness yes!" Her mother was taken aback by her daughter's outburst. "He really is, well the one time he actually put any effort into it."

"Wait, what?" her mother asked.

"Well the first time was just after the explosion. He had just moved me out of danger and I was hugging him, but I couldn't let go of him. His attention was on the building so he didn't hear me when I thanked him or when I tried to get his attention. So I kissed him to get his attention."

"Did it work?" Kokoro just looked at her mother. "Yes?"

"Yes would be an understatement. He forgot about the explosion." she said half jokingly.

"Then the other time?"

"It was on the way back. I stopped him to thank him. So I kissed him. " Her mother just looked at her, in a kind of wonder.

"Wow, and the kiss goodnight?"

"He kissed back. I had to make myself pull away."

"Why?"

"I couldn't breathe."

"That good?"

"That good." Kokoro said with an obvious sense of satisfaction. He mother hugged her.

"I'm happy you like him and he treated you so well." and she walked out. Kokoro brushed her teeth, said a little prayer, and laid down in her bed and had an easy time getting to sleep that night.


	5. Goodnight

_Slow Burn_

Chapter Five:

"Good Night"

The next morning, Kokoro woke up to warm breath on the back of her neck. She smiled and turned. "Come to wake me up, Matt?"

"Who's Matt?" Kokoro whipped around as fast as her body would allow, meeting the voice.

"Kasumi?" The girl smiled down at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Your mother just let me in. Just came to visit you, Kokoro, but… who's Matt?"

"It's good to see you!" Kokoro sat up.

"Some of the others will be coming into town today and tonight. But who is Matt? Your boy?" Kokoro blushed. "Aha! You finally got one?"

Kokoro smiled sheepishly. "I guess he is, I don't know, we haven't talked about that yet." Kasumi narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"He's here isn't he? You thought I was him a second ago." Kokoro blushed. "You two didn't!?" Kokoro's eyes widened.

"No, no, no… we haven't! We had a first 'date' last night… so no, we didn't."

"Then why is he staying here?"

"His hotel blew up." Kasumi laughed.

"You expect me to believe that?" Kokoro turned on her television to a news channel. The explosion story was playing. "Oh… why was he in a hotel?"

"He's spending his summer here, I don't know. I didn't ask more than that." Kasumi hugged her friend.

"Well did your date go well?" Kokoro nodded. "Did you two kiss?" Kokoro nodded while Kasumi laughed.

"It was a sweet night. It ended with a bang." Kokoro said. Kasumi just looked at her. "The explosion? Bang, get it?" Kasumi smiled.

"Well, yeah. So where is he?"

"Hold on, let me get changed." Kasumi nodded and walked out to the living room where she saw Kokoro's mother talking with a tall young man, which both of them turned and looked at her.

"Good morning, Miyako and um…"

"This is Matt, if Kokoro hasn't told you about him." Kasumi turned to look at him and bowed to him. He bowed awkwardly in return, at which she smiled.

"She did, but not at any length." He smiled at her. They made small talk until Kokoro came out of her room.

"Good morning, mother." she said with a hug. She walked to Matt and hugged him, "Good morning." she said and released him. "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept alright."

"I'm glad." she said as she took a place at his side. "Oh! Matt, this is an old friend, Kasumi."

"Nice to meet you." Kasumi spoke.

"Nice to meet you, too." Matt returned the sentiment.

"So, breakfast, dear?" Miyako asked of her daughter.

"It would be wonderful about now, I'm really hungry." Kokoro said with a smile. They all moved to the already set table and ate breakfast.

"Kokoro, what are your plans for the day?" Miyako asked.

"I haven't really thought about it to tell you the truth." Miyako raised her eye brow. "It's Saturday, so I may spend some time with Kasumi and Matt."

"There's a 'party' tonight, after the rest of the girls are coming in tonight." Miyako looked at her daughter. "It won't be much, just a little reunion."

"Well, I don't see the harm. Who is all going, if I may ask?"

"Um, Hitomi, Lei Fang, Tina, Cristie, and Helena, and ourselves." Kasumi stated.

"It'll be great to see them all again." Kokoro replied, "Matt, do you want to come with me?"

"If you really want me too."

"Is that a yes?" she said with a gleeful tone.

"Apparently it is." he replied with a smile. She made a happy noise similar to a 'squee!' Kasumi laughed. Miyako smiled a bit.

Later on that night, around six o'clock. Kokoro was dressed in a similar garb as her date, a blue short dress and black leggings. Matt, at his protest, had his clothes taken and washed by Kokoro. The trio was getting ready to leave. "Kokoro, I could've bought more clothes today."

"Yes, but you're cute in that, so we can get some more clothes for you tomorrow." Kokoro said with a sweet smile and grabbing his arm and pulling him closer. He smiled a little bit.

"Kokoro, I have to ask: drinking?"

"Maybe, it will be there but I do not know if we will be consuming it." Kasumi replied.

"I don't drink so I can watch over her if you would like." Matt replied unsurely. Kokoro squeezed his arm gently as if to say 'Thank you'.

"I would like that, Matt." Miyako said cautiously. "Can you have her back here tonight?" He nodded.

"Yes, mother. I'll be home tonight." Kokoro assured her mother. Matt promised to have her back. The trio departed afterwards, it was a short walk to the other hotel. "I hope this one doesn't explode…" Matt laughed. When they arrived there was a chorus of greetings.

"Wow! It's so good to see you all again!" Kokoro gleefully exclaimed.

"Kokoro! It's so wonderful to see you! How have you been?" Hitomi said while giving Kokoro a big hug.

"I got a college degree and I'm looking for a new college." she modestly answered.

"So… good then?"

"Very good." she smiled happily.

Kokoro looked around the room to scan the faces. There were almost as many men as women in the room. They brought dates. She turned to see where hers was, who was no longer there. "Koko, what's wrong?" Lei Fang asked.

"Where did he go?"

"Who? That boy?"

"Yeah."

"He's in the kitchen." she answered. Kokoro nodded and went to fetch him. Lei Fang caught her arm, "Hold on, sweetheart. Tell us about him." she said with a wide smile.

"He's a little older than me, in college, and American."

The rest of the girls simply stared and began to laugh, "Koko, what is he like, we all saw him. He's an awkward one." Tina commented.

Kokoro laughed at it, "He can be, but he's actually really sweet."

"How long have you known him?"

"Almost a week."

A pause full of smiles, "Well, how did you two meet?"

"He was my dance partner for a while, after Jin failed to show up and got me into trouble, again."

"Was he any good?"

"He was alright I suppose, he was kind of nervous. I just ran in to him and asked him to dance with me out in the hallway, to be honest." Kasumi and the others just laughed. "But I like him, all the same."

"Good," Kasumi said with a friendly hug, "He's very nice and really polite for an American." Tina blinked.

"Wait, you said he was nervous?"

"Well, we slow danced, and he was nervous about putting his arms around me the first few times." Kokoro laughed a bit, "Though, he has gotten a little better, I'm getting him used to it, so he can enjoy it as much as I do."

"That last part sounds dirty." Tina joked. They laughed, Kokoro blushed. "You two haven't, have you?" Kokoro shook her head. "Really? You mean he hasn't tried anything?" Kokoro shook her head. "Nothing!?" Again, Kokoro shook her head. "Wow, you either have a closet case or a miracle on your hands Koko. An American who hasn't tried to get into your pants and you're a looker too." Tina said with a wink. Kokoro blushed brighter. "Sweetie, it's okay, you'll understand why we joke about it when you finally do it with a guy." Kokoro was red at this point.

"Um… c-can we change the subj-ject?" Kokoro managed to eek out. Tina hugged her apologetically. "It's okay. We've discussed this all before."

"Two years ago…" Lei Fang chimed in.

"Well her views haven't seemed to have changed since then." Tina said. "Which is good. There aren't many girls like you left out there. Keep it until you get married." Kokoro blushed a little and nodded.

"That was the plan, Tina." Kokoro said with a smile.

"So does he seem like a candidate?" Tina asked, Kokoro blushed. "What? I was just asking…"

"Not anytime soon, I am pretty sure he's going back home at the end of his summer." Kokoro said with a little hint of despair.

"Aw, is he going to come back to you?"

"I hope so, but I think it would be too much to ask of him."

Lei Fang draped her arms around Kokoro's shoulders, "You say that now, but if you end up falling for him, it will be a different story."

"You think?"

"You say that you like him, and if he's good to you he might not be a bad thing in your life. So as far as I am concerned, I hope he does come back to you."

"Really? What if he forgets me?"

"How could he?" Tina smiled.

"What do you mean?" Kokoro asked. Tina didn't answer, but helped pour some drinks and passed them around. The girls now had drinks in hand. They all drank the first serving of sake of the night.

"I mean that you, my dear, are an amazing girl. You're beautiful, smart, and kind. How could he forget a girl like that!? If he did forget you, he certainly doesn't deserve to be with you, or even have you think of him for that matter. However, you should cross that bridge if it comes. Here, drink up!" Kokoro took the second cup and downed it. "But, um, how are you getting home tonight? Need a place to sleep?"

"No --" Kasumi cut her off.

"Matt doesn't drink so he's walking her home tonight. He was living in the hotel that blew up last night, so he's staying with Koko for a while." The girls all raised an eye brow, and giggled.

"Well Koko, do please call me when you go home?"

"Um… sure." she said cautiously.

"We can always all walk you home…"

"If you want." she replied with a giggle.

At the end of the night all of the girls were summarily smashed as were all of the men save Matt. Kokoro, still able to walk, hugged Matt, "Can you take me home now?" she said with a happy smile. She wasn't anywhere close to the drunkest one of the entire event, close to the last. Her speech clear and movement sure, she was minimally inebriated.

"Are you ready?" he asked, she nodded, smiled and took his hand.

"Yes, take me home." He smiled and they left with glorious applause. "Bye guys!" As they were walking home she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder. "Matt, when you leave…" A long pause.

"Yes, what's on your mind?"

"Dear, I mean Matt, I really like you, but I wonder about all of this." He looked down at her.

"Yeah."

"Are you mine? I mean, I want to be yours… but I'm scared that when you leave to go back to America you won't come back to see me or you'll just forget about me and move on. I couldn't do that, I can't forget about you. Our talk last night at the restaurant made me really want to get to know you, and the way you have treated me makes me want to be yours, because I want you to be mine." She squeezed him as tightly as she could, he hugged her back.

He sighed, "I like you a lot too, Kokoro." she melted at the sound of him saying her name, "I want to be yours more than you can imagine, so while I do have to go…" she tightened her grip on him. "…I won't forget about you, and I'll come to visit you when I can." She stopped walking and pulled him to her face.

"You can kiss me when I'm a little drunk, right?"

"Once or twice, yeah, but nothing too much." She smiled. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. It lasted for but a moment. "Do you believe me?" he asked.

"Why shouldn't I, my dear?" she responded.

"Not sure." he said pulling her to him. She giggled as she tightened her grip in him more. When they got home, her mother looked her over and smiled and nodded at Matt. He took her to her room, and laid her down in her bed and tucked her in. "You okay? Need anything?" She shook her head. Neither noticed Miyako watching them. She put her arms around his neck, like when they danced together, and pulled him close, so their foreheads and noses were touching.

"Will you sleep with me tonight?"

"Sorry, no, I can't." he said with a chuckle.

"I didn't mean sex…I wanted to just hold you like a teddy bear." she said with a smile.

"I know, but still I can't. It doesn't seem right, you know?" She nodded with a smile.

"Matt… that's a nice name, is it short for Matthew? Like from the Bible?"

"Yeah, it is. You read the Bible?" She smiled and nodded and pulled a gold cross from a jewelry box next to her bed and a Bible from beneath her pillow briefly before replacing it under the pillow again.

"I do, see?" she said getting really close again. She paused for a long while, each starring into the other's eyes. "Can I tell you a secret?" He nodded. "You have sexy eyes." He smiled.

"Yours are prettier." She paused again, smiling.

"I'm so tired… I need to rest, but can I give you a goodnight kiss?" She didn't give him a lot of time to answer before she just kissed him on the cheek quickly. "Goodnight, Matthew." She whispered into his ear before drifting off to sleep, cross still in hand.

"Goodnight, Kokoro." She smiled in her sleep. Matthew rose from her bedside and turned to see her mother looking at him with a smile on her face. "…did I do something wrong?" he whispered.

"You treated my daughter like she should be treated… No, you didn't do anything wrong, Matt." she said warmly. He smiled.


	6. So Here Wa Are, Again

_Slow Burn_

Chapter Six:

"So Here We Are, Again"

Kokoro woke up early the next morning, around six o'clock, she sat up and slid out of bed and looked in the mirror. She was in the same clothes as the previous night, and then she remembered Matt, and what he said to her when he saw the cross in her hand. She couldn't help but smile. "I wonder if that was a dream." she said softly to herself. She changed into a white t-shirt and dark blue shorts, and did her morning exercise. She walked into the kitchen. Her mother hadn't woken up yet. She walked to the guest room to check on him. She silently slid the door open about a foot and peered in. He was fast asleep, taking up only some of the bed. She giggled quietly at this. She suddenly felt the slight headache from being a little drunk the night before.

"Kokoro? Why are you up so early?" Kokoro turned to see her mother looking at her with some concern. "What are you doing?" Her mother spoke quietly.

"I just woke up a few minutes ago. I was debating climbing into bed with him for a while." Kokoro slid the door closed.

"Why?" her mother asked with a curious look on her face.

"I don't know, mother. I just wanted to… just lay down with him."

"Kokoro…" Kokoro hugged her mother. "…do you feel so strongly about him?"

"I didn't mean sex, mother. I just want to be around him." A long pause as her mother looked at her. She sighed.

"Alright. I love you, sweetheart." Kokoro opened the door again.

"I love you too, mother." Kokoro whispered to her mother, then releasing her, "I promise nothing will happen. Trust me?" Her mother smiled. Kokoro backed up and entered the guest room, sliding the door closed behind her. She walked over to his bed and contemplated if she should just lie down or wake him up. She walked to the side he was facing and nudged him. He stirred sleepily, rubbed his eyes and started to sit up. Kokoro placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled to keep him down. She sat down on the bed. "I'm sorry, Matthew." He smiled.

"What's up?" he asked wearily.

"I want to say thank you for last night…" He sat up and sat next to her, side by side. "…you looked after me. In hindsight I am ashamed that I was drunk, or for that matter drinking at all. I'm glad that you like me back, I suppose. I will be sad to part with you. Were you honest with me last night?" He nodded groggily.

"I was honest with you, sobriety shouldn't matter." he said gently. She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder, he laid his head on top of hers.

"I really would like to get to know you, so the feeling of wanting to be yours isn't so… strange." she admitted. He nodded. She laughed a little, "It's what led me in here."

"Why else did you come in here? It's early." he asked with a smile.

"I woke up early, and I wanted to lay down with you for a few hours." He laughed. "What?"

"Nothing, you really like me don't you?" She nodded eagerly. "But I'm glad you came, I want to get to know you some more, too." She smiled and cuddled up next to him. She looked up at him, he looked down at her.

"So, what do you want to know?"

"_You_ came in here." he said with a smirk. She shifted to get more comfortable.

"So I did… Well, what is your favorite thing about me?" He laughed.

"I can't really pin anything down just yet." he said with a smile.

"Well, take a stab at it."

"Well Kokoro, you are wonderfully kind, one of the nicest people I have ever met." he said in her ear.

"Anything else?" she said with a smile.

"You seem to have a delicate touch with many things. You are intelligent. You're easy to talk to, and you're beautiful on top of all of that." She smiled and nestled up to him more tightly.

"You're so sweet, Matthew. You've been reliable and caring, and you have a great sense of humor." she whispered in his ear. "And you're handsome as well." She squeezed him tighter. "You're easy to talk with, too." she said, yawning. He laughed. She looked at him for a long moment and smiled elfishly.

"What was that for?" he said quietly. She shook her head innocently.

"Because I wanted to smile at you like that." she said while closing her eyes. "Would you rather me not smile at you like that?" A long pause without a response. She looked up at him when he tightened his hold on her a little.

"Well?" she said as she looked up at him. He had fallen asleep. It made her smile as she drifted into sleep herself a few minutes later. They woke up later that morning about nine o'clock, "Good morning again, Matthew."

"Matthew?" he asked. She smiled and nodded.

"Do you prefer Matt?"

"Not particularly, no." he said with a smile. "I have never cared one way or the other."

"I prefer Matthew, it's a little longer. I like saying it too. There aren't any words like it in Japanese, either." she said sitting up. She stretched and hopped out of bed. "Come on, I smell breakfast." she said pulling him up out of bed. "Hungry?" she asked eagerly.

"Actually I am." he said standing up. "Smells good." he said awkwardly. She laughed and threw her arms around him happily.

"It does. Let's go, Matthew." she said pulling him along by the hand, a happy smile on her face.

When they walked into the kitchen her mother ushered them to the already set table, "Sleep well you two?" Matthew looked up for a moment.

"I slept well." he answered shyly. Miyako laughed.

"Don't worry. I know you two were together this morning." Kokoro touched Matthew's arm to reassure him.

"Don't worry mother, nothing happened. We only talked for a while." Miyako nodded and sat down at the table.

"So, dear, what are you doing today?" Kokoro shrugged.

"Not sure, mother." She looked at Matthew, "I should take Matthew to buy some more clothes today."

"Alright. In town?" Miyako asked. Kokoro nodded. "Have fun and be careful." Kokoro nodded again. After the two finished Kokoro suggested that they get ready to go. Near noon Kokoro took Matthew by the hand and moved him out of the door with a smile and a wave to her mother. "Be careful dear. Oh, Matt! You're responsible for my daughter, I trust you so bring her back safe, okay!?"

"Yes ma'am!" Matthew yelled back. Kokoro hugged his left arm and walked on into town with him. She smiled happily at her mother and then him.

"So how do you dress? And should we go get lunch?"

"I dress like I'm dressed now."

"Collared shirts and jeans?"

"For the most part."

"I think we can manage that. Though the clothes here are probably not what you're used to in America. But what do you say to lunch."

He smiled, "We shall see. We'll eat if you want to."

"I'm actually hungry now. You?" He shrugged. "Let's eat now?" He smiled. She took him to the restaurant they went to the time before, as they walked in the same girl greeted them.

"Well hello again Kokoro and um, friend." she said with a friendly.

"Hello Yuki, how have you been?"

"Work and school. Who's your friend?" she asked slyly.

Kokoro blinked at the curiosity. "This is Matthew." The girl smiled. "Matthew this is Yuki, I went to high school with her."

"Well let me get you seated." she said leading them back to the same table. "Do you know what you want, or should I come back in a few minutes." Kokoro looked at Matthew, who shrugged and smiled back.

"Same thing as last time." Kokoro said calmly. Yuki wrote it down and bowed and went back into the kitchen. "She's so sweet." Matthew only smiled. "… Once you get to know her." Kokoro laughed softly. He nodded. "So, are we actually together?"

"What?" he asked surprised at the question.

"Yuki thinks that we are together, like dating, are we? She'll ask eventually."

"Are we?" he asked in response. "I mean, would that make you happy?" he asked shyly.

"It would, but only if it would make you happy to be with me." she whispered.

"Then I guess we are together." he concluded. Kokoro smiled happily and grabbed his hand from across the table. He looked at her funny, she smiled sweetly in return. After they ate Yuki returned with the bill.

"Here you go. So are you two together?" Kokoro nodded and smiled and gave a quick look to Matthew. "How cute!" Yuki exclaimed with a smile. "That's very sweet. You two have a nice day. Alright?" They nodded.

"You too, Yuki." Kokoro replied. Yuki waved as she walked back to the kitchen. Matthew produced his wallet. "I have it Matthew." she calmly responded. "Mother told me to pay for food when we are out. She always said my father left her with so much money she didn't know how to spend it, especially on top of her family fortune." Kokoro informed Matthew.

"I want to buy you dinner at least once though." Kokoro leaned in placing the bill money with a tip on the table.

"I won't stop you, but this is _lunch_, not a nice dinner." She smiled as she saw him accept her given reality. "I know it's against the proper rules for a guy, though. I just want to make sure you have enough for whatever you need, you know?" He nodded.

"That's very thoughtful of you." he said with a smile. She stood up and held out her hand, which he took when he stood up.

"Let's go, shall we?" she said leading him out of the restaurant. She waved to Yuki as they left.


	7. The Heavenly Garden

_Slow Burn_

Chapter Seven:

"The Heavenly Garden"

Kokoro and Matthew did their shopping without anything exciting happening. Matthew had gotten enough clothes for his stay in Japan. After dinner Kokoro took Matthew onto the front steps of the house and sat down and looked at the thin crescent moon. They sat shoulder to shoulder, Kokoro wrapped Matthew's right arm around her shoulders for warmth. "Cold?" he asked sarcastically. She nodded as she laid her head on his shoulder. He pulled her closer to him, she looked up at him. He sat perfectly still starring into the starry sky.

"What are you looking at?"

"The stars." he answered warmly.

"Specifically?" She received no reply for a few moments so she wrapped her arms around his ribs.

"Have you ever thought of the sky as a garden?" he finally asked, albeit quietly and calmly.

"No, but please explain." He laughed a little. "No really! I want to know…" No answer for a few more moments after she trailed off.

"There are so many stars up there." he finally said again. She nodded. "There are as many stars in the sky as grains of sand on the beach. A vast celestial garden for us to look up at."

"It seems dear to you. All of those colors and sparks do kind of remind me of a garden." He laughed.

"Just one in particular."

"Which one?

"The head of Andromeda."

"Andromeda? Like the tail of Pegasus?" she asked. He nodded. "Why?"

"Don't know. It's just that great things tend to happen after I see it."

"Your lucky star?" she said quietly. He turned to look down at her and smiled.

"I suppose it is my lucky star."

"So, your star, where is it?"

"I do not know. Different sky, different side of the planet, so I can't find it."

"You lost it?" she asked quietly. He sighed and looked down at the ground for a moment, then turned to look at her, smiling.

"I have lost my lucky star." he said slowly. She nestled her head against his shoulder and neck to try and cheer him up. After a moment or two he finally looked back up at the sky. "I have you though." he said, looking back at her.

"That's very sweet, Matthew. So our meeting wasn't luck, is that what you mean?" she said with a deep look of curiosity. He starred back at her and released her from his grasped and turned his torso so that they were face to face. He hugged her suddenly. A moment passed. "Question answered?" she asked. He smiled warmly.

"Mine is." She looked up at him curiously.

"What question?"

"Where my lucky star is."

"You found it?"

"Mmhmm. I did."

"Show me, please." she said pulling his cheek to hers.

"I can't."

"Why not? I thought you found it, or is it that you don't wish to show your 'princess' to me?" she said pulling her face away from his, she looked shocked, angry, and hurt. Matthew was taken aback by this, and that she knew than Andromeda meant 'princess'.

"That's not it at all, Kokoro." He gently placed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. "I can't show you where it is, and it is simply because you cannot look into your own eyes. That's all. You can't see you through my eyes, so no one can see my lucky star right now. Understand? I would show you in a heartbeat if I could. You…" She had pulled away and cut him off by placing her index finger of his lips. When he was silent she stood up and looked down at him and extended her hands out to him. He took them and stood with her.

"I think I'm falling for you. I can't say that I truly _love_ you yet, but that will come in time. I'm sure that the moment will come when I just surrender my heart to you and wait patiently for yours." He smiled. She smiled back. A moment passed and she whispered, "That was your cue to kiss me…"

"I know." he joked. She smiled elfishly at him. She sighed and closed her eyes and lay in his arms, motionless and silent. As they both held the other, she refused to let him go. "Not done?" he whispered. She still had the elfish smile on her face and she squeezed him sharply.

After a while she pulled away from him and sat down on the front step and she kept herself in his arms and did not release him from her embrace. "I like you a lot, Matthew."

"I like you a lot too, Kokoro." They sat starring up at the sky until Kokoro sneezed an hour later. "Bless you."

"Thanks. Um, let's go inside before we catch something." He stood, bringing her with him. She squeezed him once more before she led him inside. They stood in the hallway for a moment, without a word while Kokoro locked the front door. She turned and hugged him hard and tight. "Good night, Matthew. Sleep well."

"Night, you sleep well yourself." She smiled and squeezed one last time and they headed apart to their rooms. Kokoro laid down on her bed after she got ready to go to bed and starred up at the ceiling. She prayed until she fell asleep, she prayed for guidance. The next morning she woke up to Matthew nudging her back to consciousness.

"Is something wrong?" He only smiled. She looked at the clock. It was ten o'clock. She smiled and sat up.

"Good morning."

"Morning. Your mom sent me to get you up."

"Oh, okay. I'll be out in a second." He nodded and walked out, closing the door behind him. She stood up and took off her shirt and shorts and tossed them in a basked that was in the corner. She opened her closet and took a red shirt out and a pair of black wide legged pants out and got dressed. When she opened her door her mother called to her.

"Are you hungry dear? We saved you some breakfast."

"Thank you, I'm pretty hungry." She heard the door open and close. "Where's Matthew?" Her mother sat her food down on the table.

"I asked him to go get me a few things. Milk, eggs and the like."

"Oh." Kokoro began to eat, eyes down.

"What's wrong, Kokoro? Are you alright? Something with Matt?" Miyako asked quickly, angrily and fearfully. Kokoro dropped her chopsticks and put her hand on her mother's.

"No, no, no! Not like that at all! Mother, he has been so wonderful to me. He's respectful and trustworthy and…"

"And?"

"I'm falling for him." Her mother hugged her.

"Are you sure? After only less than a week?" Kokoro nodded, almost ashamed of herself. Her mother, sensing this attempted to comfort her distraught daughter.

"Kokoro, sweetie, this is nothing to be ashamed of. He's good to you, right?"

"He is _wonderful_ to me."

"Then is it so wrong that you are falling for him? It does not seem so bad to me." Kokoro smiled. "When was the last time you two kissed?"

"Saturday night." Kokoro smiled at the thought, and blushed when her mother smiled.

"So you didn't kiss at all yesterday?" Kokoro shook her head. "Why not?"

"I hugged him a lot, it was enough." Miyako embraced her daughter upon hearing the sentence from her daughter's mouth. "Why are you so happy?"

"I think he likes you as much as you like him." Kokoro smiled.

"Me too."

"Well finish eating, Kokoro. Go get dressed when you're done, you have training today."

"Dressed?"

"In a kimono. Look pretty, it'll make you feel a whole lot better." Miyako said as she walked away. Matthew returned a minute or two later and sat down next to Kokoro.

"Matthew?"

"Yeah?"

"I have to do some geisha training today. I was wondering if you would keep me company while I go through it today."

"Of course, I'd love to."

Kokoro smiled and hugged him, "Will you draw me a picture?"

"Of?" he asked with a smile.

"I don't care, just to pass the time while you wait on me to finish?"

"If you want me to." She hugged him again.

"Or you can watch me and talk to me." He smiled.

"I'd rather talk with you, I'll enjoy it more." Kokoro smiled and blushed a little.

"Well, I'm going to get ready after I finish getting ready so can you occupy yourself for a little while and I'll get you when I'm done?"

"How long is a little while?" he asked warmly.

"Well, I have to put on a kimono and do my make up, so that long." she said putting her cheek to his. "Depending on if I want to look good or really good today." He smiled as she pecked him on the cheek and stood up. She saw him smiling after her out of the corner of her eye, it made her feel warm inside. She went to her room and got ready for her day of training.

She really was falling for him.


	8. Like Looking Into the Past

_Slow Burn_

Chapter Eight:

"Like Looking Into the Past"

It took Kokoro and hour to get ready, and she hurried. He put on a nice kimono, fixed her makeup, and fixed her hair up. She wasn't totally sure whether it was to show Matthew that she really was on her way to being a geisha or that she hadn't gone all out on the makeup and hair in a while. "Probably both." she said to herself quietly. She stepped out into the courtyard behind the two wings of her house, her mother already waiting with a smile on her face.

"Nice to see you can still do your hair and makeup, dear." Miyako said with an approving smile. Kokoro only nodded, she _still_ had to walk carefully in the high sandals, but they came with the rest of the outfit.

"Should I go get -?" Her mother cut her off.

"No, I'll go get him in a few minutes. Just to make it easier for you, wouldn't want you to trip retrieving him." Kokoro laughed and nodded. "Now, just do what you normally do." her mother said softly. Kokoro knew exactly what to do, she had been doing for a long time. After about twenty minutes or so, her mother abruptly walked inside. She returned after a few minutes with Matthew behind her, he was blind folded. Miyako walked back inside, a smile on her face and a wink to her daughter.

"Um… hello?" Kokoro giggled to herself and walked over to him, and slipped out of the sandals when she reached him.

"Hi." she said coyly. He smiled. "Why are you blindfolded?"

"It was your mother's idea. She said it would be better if I saw you like this." Kokoro giggled. She walked behind him and removed the blindfold from her American friend. He began to turn around, she took his shoulders stiffly.

"Not yet, close your eyes."

"Alright." She waited for a few moments and walked around him, sat down in front of him, and straightened her back and held her shoulders up more than she normally did. "Can I see you yet?"

"Are you so eager?" He recoiled slightly. "Okay, since you are so excited, you can open your eyes now." she said as sweetly as she could. His eyes opened and immediately focused on her. She smiled up at him.

"Wow." She smiled wider. He looked at her face, which was the traditional white with the red lips and dark eye brows. He examined her hair which was done up in a traditional fashion. "You look great!"

"Thank you, Matthew." She starred at him warmly, stood up, and took a step back, "As much as I want to, I cannot hug you when I'm in all of this." She had a kind, soft smile across her face.

"Ah, a traditional thing?"

"Um, no, I like that shirt and I don't want to get make up on it." she said with a laugh. "You'll keep me company?"

"Of course I will." he said with a smile. She took a step back and slipped the sandals back on and took a few steps back down to the ground. She slipped on the first stair, she closed her eyes and opened them to have Matthew starring down at her with a smile. He had caught her before she could call out. "You alright?"

"Uh, thank you." she said checking her ankle, "I am, thanks to you, but really, you are a quick one." He helped stand her up and walked her the rest of the way."

"It was nothing, really. I've got your back." She smiled.

"Remind me to kiss you later." He looked at her funny, but then nodded. She backed up and bowed and he turned to walk back up to where they were a few minutes before. She trained in various ways for a few hours, the duo talking the entire time. She felt herself clear a place for him in her heart, she smiled. He obviously enjoyed himself as well, it seemed. After she finished she walked inside, he followed behind a few steps. "I'm going to go take a shower and change." she told her mother.

"Dinner will be done by then." Kokoro nodded. Matthew smiled and found a place to wait for her. She came out a little while later and they ate dinner together. Afterwards, Kokoro took Matthew aside.

"Let's go outside, shall we?" she asked him warmly. She led him out to where she was all day. She slid her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. "Will you dance with me for a while? Just because." He placed his arms on her, slowly. She looked up at him all of a sudden, smiling and giggling.

"What?" he said shyly.

"You're _still_ nervous?" He looked away. She squeezed him. "Why?"

"I don't know. I _really_ like you and I want to hold you right."

"Was that the reason before?" He shook his head.

"I was just nervous before." She smiled and raided up and closed her eyes.

"It's okay, but I think I owe you. So before I forget…" she faded away with a kiss. It was a mere peck on the lips, but she blushed and laid her head on his shoulder. After a few moments, "So, why are you so nervous?"

He laughed a bit, "Because, you are so beautiful and smart, how could I not be nervous? You're like the most awesome girl I've ever met!" She looked up at him in surprise. He smiled down at her.

"You think so highly of me. Why?"

"I see no reason not to think so highly of you."

"You make it sound like I'm perfect." she said meekly.

"Do I?" he said with a little surprise.

"Well, yeah. You call me beautiful. I'm not all that pretty. And you say I'm smart, I'm not super smart." she said lowly. He laughed.

"You are all that pretty_ to me_."

"To you? What does that mean?"

"There's an expression in my country that says 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.'" She smiled. "And you don't have to be a genius to be smart. You are intelligent and have commonsense, which is more than I can say about a lot of the people I grew up around." She smiled wider.

"You've thought this out, I see." He nodded.

"I have a lot of free time." She squeezed him.

"Anything else you want to tell me?" she said with a curious smirk.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "My aren't you a curious one?"

"I like to know how I am thought about by those I like." she said with a shrug. He answered with a laugh. "But tell me if you have something on your mind."

"Well," he said plainly, "I'll save it for another time." She sighed and squeezed him again.

"Well I think that you are a wonderfully wise person. You have a way with words that can always make me feel better. You are sweet and you put me before yourself, so you try to at least. You are smart, observant, and so fun to talk to. I love the way you look at the world, you definitely have a strong sense of honor. On top of all of that, I'm loving every second of hanging out with you." she confessed and laid her head back upon his shoulder. He ran his hand up and down her back and she melted into him. "Tell me something if you will."

"Yeah?"

"Tell me what you think of me."

"Um," he paused for a second. "Kokoro, I think you are absolutely amazing and that when I have to leave I will comeback for you at the first opportunity, I promise you that. I enjoy just being around you, it doesn't even matter what we're doing, I enjoy it all the same. You are smart, wise, sweet, and you are beautiful. I feel blessed that I know you. I stand and look on in awe at your grace in mental and physical matters. I look at your smile and my day gets better. And I think about your face and how I fall into your eyes. I think, Kokoro that I am falling for you." She smiled and closed her eyes as she leaned in to kiss him.

All of a sudden a flash of light and a loud crash interrupted them before she could actually kiss him. They turned to look as a white light surged forth from another explosion a few hundred yards away. "Really?" Kokoro said flatly in English. He looked at her for a moment. She heard her mother's voice but it was blurry and very distant. She looked up at Matthew and, even though he was holding her, seemed a hundred yards away. Then everything went black and she passed out.


	9. Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean

_Honor_

Chapter One:

Whatever I Say is Royal Ocean

Kokoro felt as though she was floating. She opened her eyes and looked around. The whole world to her was now as a floating ocean of white light. She searched for someone, but she was all alone. Her mother, her home, and Matthew, they were all nowhere to be found. Suddenly she felt overwhelmed. She had been in his arms, she remembered, they were about to kiss and she was about to tell him something that she did not remember, but knew it was important. After that all she remembered was the explosion and how she passed out. She was lonely, and now she was scared. "Am I dead?" she asked herself out loud, her eyes welling up with tears.

She had gone about burying her face in her arms with her knees pulled up to her chest, so she cried in a ball for a few moments before she heard a dim whining noise before hearing a calm voice from nowhere. "Kokoro, you are not dead as you may know it. Be calm and still your teary heart. You have much to do."

She could only look around the astral void for the voice, knowing it was in vain. "I am afraid." There was no answer for several minutes.

"Do not be afraid. Have faith and all will be well." At this she began to cry again, harder this time.

"Mom… where are you? I need you. Matthew… please come save me…" she called out, she soon felt sleepy and the feeling of distantness consumed her once more as the white sea of light dimmed to black.

She opened her eyes, remembering what she thought was a dream, expecting to see Matthew over her. She was waiting to see his expression of worry after she passed out in his arms. She wanted to kiss him. She was still scared from her dream.

There was a figure over her, it was worried and relieved that she was awake, but it was not Matthew or her mother. It was a girl who looked like she was about twelve years old. "You are finally awake Miss!" Kokoro sat up with a start. "You are safe here," the girl tried to calm the obviously surprised Kokoro, "you have been sleeping for the past two days! Are you sick Miss?"

Kokoro looked around the room. It was wooden and old fashioned. The room's only light was from a few candles around the room, still the room was dim. She looked at the girl and what she was wearing, a kimono styled dress. "I… am not sick. Where am I? What about my mother and what about Matthew?" The girl just looked at her.

"Matthew…?" The girl had a lot of trouble pronouncing the name. "I've never heard a name like that. Whoever it is we did not find them, or your mother, when we found you."

"_Found_ me?" The girl nodded.

"You were passed out in a field outside of the village two days ago. They brought you here, to our Inn. The doctor said you would be fine after your fever broke." Kokoro remained silent for a time, she was scared now, and she was found in a field?

"Is this another dream?" she asked herself in her head. "What about the explosion?"

"What explosion?"

"There was an explosion the other night?" The girl looked like she honestly had no idea what she was talking about. "You have no idea what I am talking about do you." The girl shook her head. "So I was found alone?"

The girl nodded. "You were found in a nice kimono, and make up done like a geisha so they brought you here."

"Here? Where is here? More importantly, what is here?" Kokoro asked, with a countenance of concern. The girl saw this on her face and calmed her.

"Miss Yuki heads the geisha house here. They brought you to her because they thought you were a geisha from here. In fact, she has been waiting for you to wake up." Kokoro felt like this was not a dream as the girl went to get Miss Yuki. Kokoro was scared of this person for some reason, like she may be like her dance instructor and be harsh with her if she did something wrong, and Kokoro felt that being found alone in a field was a sort of wrong. Kokoro remembered that she was found alone and checked herself for any injuries, there were none at all to her amazement and relief, she was hungry all of a sudden as her stomach made all sorts of noises as it begged for food.

Finally, after a few minutes the girl returned with a woman who looked forty or so. The woman looked stern and she looked over the confused, scared girl sitting up in a bed. "What is your name?" Kokoro looked up, she was stiff and scared.

"My name is Kokoro, ma'am." Kokoro remembered that she _had_ to be formal in her training, and this was a geisha who oversaw a town's worth of geisha.

"And how old are you?"

"I am nineteen, ma'am." Her back ached from laying in bed for so long, but she was too scared to show it. The woman did not seem to like the answer.

"You do not look nineteen. In fact you look much closer to sixteen, Kokoro."

"Ma'am, I mean no disrespect, but I am nineteen years old."

There was a long pause as the woman starred at her for correcting her, even if Kokoro was right, and Kokoro blushed slightly and looked at the floor. "Very well Kokoro, if you insist on saying that you are nineteen, there is no reason that you would lie." Kokoro remembered her I.D. was in her kimono, but she was not wearing her kimono, but a robe they had put her in. "But do tell me, that is a very nice kimono that you were wearing and a halfway decent attempt at make-up you had when they brought you here. What is it that you do?"

"I am a geisha in training."

"Under whom are you instructed? I am sure I will know you're instructor."

"My mother, Miyako, is instructing me."

"Where are you from?"

"A town near Kyoto, ma'am."

"Like the town we are in now?"

"I guess so, ma'am."

"I have never heard of Miyako, Kokoro. So are you sure you are a geisha in training from this place?" Miss Yuki staring was down hard at Kokoro.

"It is, as far as I know, ma'am. Forgive me for being hard to get answers from, I do not remember being alone before I was rendered unconscious, and I have not eaten since. I sincerely apologize for the difficulty." The woman lessened her stress on the girl. The woman knelt down at her side and got a closer look at her.

"You are welcome to stay as long as you earn your keep. If you are what you say you are, you may help that way."

"May I see what I had with me in my kimono?" The girl retrieved the Kimono. Kokoro found the I.D. and showed it to Miss Yuki. "This is my driver's license."

There was a long pause, "And this means?" she said, clearly having no idea what she was being shown.

"You do not know what this is?" She shook her head.

"Child, I cannot even read those strange characters. I have never seen them written like that."

"Am I dreaming? I feel like I have been sent back in time…"

"Back in time? From when child?"

"As funny as it will sound, I was born in the year 1990, and I am nineteen, so back to here from 2009..." Kokoro trailed off realizing how crazy it must sound and noticing that the woman was not looking at her like she had lost her mind. "Am I insane, ma'am?"

The woman merely shook her head, "The gods must have sent you for their own reasons, and maybe you are to learn something."

Kokoro sat there in the bed with Miss Yuki, both in silence. Kokoro finally broke it, "So I have been sent back in time to do… something."

"Or learn something."

Kokoro drew her knees up to her chest again, placed her arms on her knees and buried her face in her arms and began to cry softly. "Oh God… what do I do here?" She cried softly until Miss Yuki placed her hand on her back. Kokoro burst into sobs at the first utterance of words.

"Dear, why are you so distressed?" she asked with no small amount of alarm.

Kokoro fought to answer her though sobs and gasps for air and tears to answer the woman. "I remember when I passed out. I was with a boy…"

"Boy… as in a child?"

"No. He is… well…" she paused, "will be older than me."

"He will be your husband?"

"I am not married. I was in his arms though. We were about to kiss and I had something to tell him."

"So you two were intimate? Why are you a geisha if you are with a man?"

"Things are different, well they will be different."

"So you can be a geisha and have a husband?"

"I never saw a reason why not."

"And you and this man were lovers?"

"He will be my boyfriend."

"He has asked you to marry him then?"

"No, he has not asked me to marry him."

"Then you must really like him."

"Why do you say so?"

"He is not your husband to be, yet you two lie together… You must hold him very dear."

Kokoro paused for a moment, her crying softened. She raised her head. "I am a virgin! I have not had sex with him… or anyone before… How did you gather that I had?"

"You said you two were lovers and were intimate."

Kokoro laughed slightly and quietly. "Not that intimate. Not yet. I have not known him long enough, but maybe one day if we get married."

"So it is alright to marry if you are a geisha?"

"My mother did so. But geisha have become less prominent in my time. They are entertainers still yes, but they are few and other entertainers hold superiority over the world. The rules have changed I imagine."

"Well nothing on Earth is permanent." Kokoro had since placed her face in her arms. "Kokoro, I can only imagine that you miss him terribly, both him and your mother. We will find him for you if they are here." Kokoro only nodded. Her stomach then proceeded to make a deep and loud rumble. "I will send you some food. We will discuss you living arrangements when you are feeling better. You should get some rest in the meantime.


	10. Without Ever Letting Go

_Honor_

Chapter Two:

Without Ever Letting Go

After a few days of rest Kokoro felt a lot better, she noted that she did not sleep so much as she just passed out and also that she never dreamed. She still missed her mother and Matthew, but she was able to get it together with rest and a little acceptance that she would find them, the two most important people _ever_ to her. Miss Yuki came up to her when she was confident she could now work, "You can clean, right?" Miss Yuki asked, sitting down. Kokoro nodded. "I would send you out with one of the girls but I still need to see what you have to offer as a geisha. If geishas have lost prominence in your time then you probably are not all that good of a geisha by the standards of now. I just do not have the time to test you right now, sadly." Kokoro nodded. Kokoro went to stand to get to work before Miss Yuki stopped her. "Sit, I told you that I would help find your mother and this man of yours if I could, but I need to know what to look for." Kokoro smiled.

"I think it would be better to look for Matthew first, since he could help find my mother and he will be easier to find."

"That sounds like a pretty good idea." Miss Yuki said with a nod. "So what does he look like?"

"Well, he is very tall. He has a paler skin color than most people. He has brown hair. His eyes are green. And his Japanese is probably barely passable, since he is not Japanese and sometimes has trouble talking to me in the dialect that we are used to he is probably having some trouble with the new word used now." Miss Yuki nodded.

"When you say very tall…?" Kokoro stood to her feet and held her hand six inches above her head. "Alright, and how pale is his skin color?"

Kokoro sat back down, "Well it is a different tome I guess you could say. His is a lighter tone, pinkish brownish I guess. It is different from most people. He should stick out in a crowd."

"Well I will let the girls know to look for that."

"I thank you very much, ma'am." She bowed respectfully. "Now what is it that I should clean?"

"I will show you, follow me." Miss Yuki had Kokoro clean the whole building thoroughly, which took a few days, and was to keep it clean. Kokoro did this quite happily. When asked about why she was so happy about it she always cheerfully answered.

"The work is not very difficult if I keep my mind busy, and I do that by waiting for Matthew or my mother to be found! I have good food and a nice bed to sleep in, where as I could have none of that and be bored as well."

One day, after a month or so she was told that she would be going out with one of the girls as a geisha to see if she did well. She went out with an older, more experienced girl, Keiko, who was her age. Kokoro was definitely the tallest of the girls, as people were shorter back then, and she and Keiko got along well. That day while she and Keiko were out walking around town Keiko asked her a curious question. "Kokoro, the man we are keeping an eye out for is your lover right?" she asked quietly, as to keep others from eavesdropping.

"Define lover, Keiko." She responded with a smile.

"You are a virgin right?" Kokoro nodded slowly, embarrassed at the question. "So is your husband to be then?"

Kokoro shrugged, "I do not really know. I like him a lot, he makes me happy, and he is a protective and sweet guy. I cannot say that I have spent as much time with him as I would like, so I do not really know, plus he lives a long way away from me."

"But…"Keiko paused for a moment and stopped walking. Kokoro stopped and turned to her. "…if he were to ask you to marry him when you find him, would you say yes or no?"

Kokoro laughed a little, "I would hug him very tightly, and say wait a little longer to ask me again." Keiko began walking again. "But why do you ask?"

"It seems that you are closer to falling in love than any of the rest of us… I envy that. We can't have that and be a geisha here. You have a freedom that I would love to have, if a good man would come along and get me."

"I suppose you are right, but if that man did come along would you not choose him over this? I would. I probably will." Keiko smiled.

"So you have kissed him a lot right?" Kokoro smiled and nodded. "How does it make you feel? I mean what is it like to kiss someone you like and you know likes you so much?"

Kokoro giggled a little and looked at the sky to think how to word the answer, "It makes me weak in the knees. My heart beats harder and faster. It makes me feel vulnerable. It makes me be happy with my vulnerability. It makes me feel wanted. It makes me feel needed, necessary. It makes me feel like no one else can take me away or make me feel like that. I feel warm and happy in his arms. I feel at peace when I am in the same room as him. And most of all it makes him happy too and it makes us both happy that the other is happy with us." Keiko simply starred at Kokoro for a moment.

"And you want him back for that?"

"Well, yes I do, but there is more to it, I have learned. I miss him. I worry about him. I wonder if he is warm, if he is hungry, if he is hurt. I know he is out here somewhere, I know he is alive. I can feel it, no lie. I just want him next to me so that we can protect each other."

"You protect him?"

Kokoro laughed, "Men can do some really dumb things sometimes. I try to be with him so he either does not do them or if he gets hurt I can be with him to comfort him."

"Has that happened yet?" Kokoro shook her head. "I guess that is a good thing."

"Matthew is a bit different that a lot of men, I guess you could say. He is the same in many ways too, but he is different where he needs to be, how he makes me happy where the rest just do not. Love, and really most relationships in life, not just love, are give and take. I give, he gives, and we take what the other gives."

"He feels this way, too?"

"I think so." Keiko smiled.

"I'm happy that you have that."

"I am too. I just want to hurry up and find him." The two had been talking for a while and were in the market's busiest area when Keiko thought she saw a tall man in a cloak.

"Kokoro, look over there!" she said motioning in the direction of the figure. Kokoro seemed to have her attention consumed by this and pulled her companion in tow as she followed the figure through the streets until they saw it turn into an alley where Kokoro released her companion and shed her sandals so she could run faster. She sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her. When she turned into the alley, she saw that the figure was only about sixty or seventy feet in ahead of her so she decided to call out to it.

She hoped with all of her heart that it was who she thought it was, so she called out in plain English, almost yelling at the cloaked figure. "Matthew, I miss you! Come back to me! It is me, Kokoro! Don't you miss me?" The figure stopped quickly, but waited to turn for a moment. When it finally did, it was not Matthew, but a confused man on stilts.

"What are you yelling at me for? You mad woman, have you lost your mind?" Kokoro's heart broke, and she stepped back a few steps as the man turned back and continued on his way. Keiko had caught up to her and had her sandals. Kokoro nearly dropped to her knees, Keiko caught her before she could falter, but dropping the sandals.

"Let's go back. We are not too far away from home." Keiko said gently, her voice sad for her friend. The walk back was slow and Kokoro had to find some strength, she could not cry, not out in the open… not while being dressed as a geisha. The walk home was finally over, and it had begun to rain as they entered the threshold. Kokoro sorrowfully walked to her room, ignoring anyone along the way. Keiko explained what had happened to those who wondered what the matter was that had their friend and fellow geisha so sad looking.

Kokoro made it into her room, she closed the door behind her and noted that her hands, and the rest of her had started to tremble. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She wanted to cry her eyes out of her head. She finally allowed herself to banish all of her feigned strength, it did her no good anymore, and she fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands and the tears came forth. She could not remember if she had ever cried so hard and so quietly, this was not just sadness or disappointment, it was sorrow and hopelessness. She placed her all on the hope that the figure was Matthew, and on the first afternoon she was able to go out as a geisha, even as a test. It was supposed to be a good day, it was almost one of the happiest days of her life, but now she wanted the day to end. "And it is still the afternoon…" she whispered to herself among gasps for air and hot tears. She waited to cry herself to sleep but sleep, too, had stayed away. None of the women in the house dared go to her, none thought they could help. None understood her pain. Hours passed and the rain poured harder. Keiko finally went to check on her friend.

Keiko knocked on the door, "Kokoro, are you alright? Is there anything I can get you?" There was no response, so Keiko slid the door open a few inches to see how Kokoro was faring, or if she had hurt herself. But all she saw was a woman with her back against the wall, knees to her chest, face in her hands, and still sobbing hard and silently. Keiko considered going in, but did not know what to say or do so she closed the door and left with only a few words. "Kokoro, you will find him so do not give up." And she walked back to the rest of the girls to report what she had seen.

Kokoro had heard her friend, but was unable to do anything but cry. "Matthew, what I would not give to have your arms around me right now." was all she could think of, it circled her mind over and over and over. She did not tire or grow hungry. It was like time had stopped since her heart had broken. That is, until she suddenly stopped and stood up and walked outside to the threshold. The other girls simply looked in awe and pity at the broken Kokoro before them. Then came the knock on the door and all looked at the door.


	11. With a Heart as a Ball and Chain

_Honor_

Chapter Three:

A Heart as a Ball and Chain

Miss Yuki looked away from Kokoro and too the door and went to open the door. Kokoro wonder why she was so compelled to be there, she still felt like crying. She noted her knees were weakening and shaking a little. Miss Yuki opened the door to reveal a man in a cloak who was wet. He was in a cloak and was obviously cold. "Yes? Do you need something?" she asked kindly. She noticed that his eyes did not look at her but past her, into the room but they did not search. They rested upon Kokoro. Miss Yuki came to a quick realization and asked, "Would you like to come inside?"

"Yes, thank you." echoed the response in the expected unsure Japanese. The tall figure walked in the threshold and removed the hood from the cloak. Kokoro burst into tears as she saw his face and she called out what was becoming increasingly strange to almost everyone.

"Matthew!" Kokoro said falling into his arms. He only smiled down at her as she ran down the stairs and slid her arms around him and under the wet cloak. "I missed you… I was scared that I would never find you." Kokoro fell into sleep with a smile on her tear stained face.

"How did you find her?" Keiko asked suddenly. "She thought she had found you earlier, but it turned out to not be you. She was crushed and has been crying alone in the dark since we came home, that was several hours ago, well before dusk." He turned to look over at her, with no small amount of guilt.

"Really…?" he said, turning to look down at Kokoro, "I heard her yell and ran in that direction earlier, but I could not find her, I have been looking all over the place since this afternoon. I am sorry she has been crying. I wish I had gotten here sooner…" his Japanese slow and unsure.

Miss Yuki stepped toward him, "The two of you are welcome to stay here, and you will have to earn your keep as she does." She said with a motion toward the sleeping girl. "But I guess I could put you in a spare room while you stay. I am sure it will make it easier for the two of you. Especially her." Matthew nodded in response. "So let us put her to bed." Matthew nodded and followed the woman back up the stairs from which Kokoro descended. Matthew had picked her up and carried her up the stairs. They walked to Kokoro's room and Miss Yuki slid the door open and pointed to her bed. Matthew laid her down and tucked her in, and she stirred awake.

"Matthew… are you not sleeping with me, tonight?" she asked weakly, glancing over at Miss Yuki, Matthew's eyes never left Kokoro.

"Maybe not tonight, Kokoro, you too can be together tomorrow." Miss Yuki gently. Kokoro looked back at Matthew.

"Then, Matthew, will be next to me and stay awake with me?"

"Kokoro… I will be here in the morning. You have had a hard day, you should rest so you will feel better tomorrow." Matthew replied. Kokoro knew he was right, but she obviously did not like it.

"Then at least will you give me a kiss goodnight?" Matthew smiled and leaned down as she closed her eyes. When he kissed her, she wrapped her arms around his neck fairly tightly. When she decided to break the kiss, she whispered in his ear. "Matthew, I missed you so much. I am so happy that you are finally back by my side. Please do not go away again."

"I will do my best."

"Promise me."

"I promise I will do everything I can to stay by your side." She smiled and kissed him gently before releasing him, falling back into sleep. Matthew stood up and turned to Miss Yuki, who was enthralled at the couple's romantic interactions from the future. The woman also sported a blush. "Where might I be sleeping?" he asked innocently. And she led him out of the room. Once they were gone Kokoro opened one eye to make sure they were gone. She listened for their footsteps to fade into quiet.

She slowly sat up, and drew her knees to her chest and whispered to herself, "Matthew, I wish I could have slept in your arms. Two kisses are nowhere near enough." She sat like that for a few minutes, and sighed. She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, "Oh God, please hear my prayer. I have him back, I miss my mother too, but he will ease the burden. Help me here, help Matthew as well, and watch over my mother. Thank you for all I have been given. Please forgive my sins, and help me to be closer to you especially when it is hard to even know what is right. Amen." She sat still and silent after her whispered prayer was finished. Eventually she laid back down and found sleep came quickly.

She still had not had a single dream since she came here, and this night was no different. But she was a little restless and a little cold throughout the night.

The next morning she was nudged awake gently and greeted by a familiar voice, albeit is a whispered breath than a voice. "Kokoro, dear, it is time to wake up. Get up for me, okay?" She rolled over groggily to see that Matthew had come to wake her up. He smiled at her and she responded with a soft peck on the lips. "I have a surprise for you today."

That woke her up a little. "What is it?" she whispered as she sat up and put her arms around him. He was warm to her so she laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes again. He noticed this and put his arms around her and just held her for a minute.

"Five more minutes?" She nodded slowly.

"Yeah." She whispered. The two nearly fell asleep and sat there for more than five minutes, actually closer to fifteen minutes. Of which Kokoro broke it, "What is it?" she said raising her hear to meet his gaze.

"You and I are to spend the _entire_ day together. Miss Yuki told me last night that since we had been apart so long we should get some time to just be together." Kokoro smiled.

"I would like that Matthew. I have missed you… a lot."

"I missed you too." She squeezed him tightly, and he grunted slightly, like he always did. She smiled at this.

"So what are we doing today?" Matthew only shrugged. "I… I do not want to stay here all day. I want to go and be outside if it is nice and sunny outside. Or if it is not too wet from the rain yesterday."

"Whatever you want to do is fine with me Kokoro. All I want is to be with you." She smiled, and looked at her "roommate's" bed, which was empty. She looked back at Matthew and pulled him down so that they lay down together. "What's all this?" She smiled and kissed him passionately, as if to make up for the time she lost from him. She pulled him back up and kissed him again. She wanted to spend _some_ time kissing and being close, a while in fact.

Between kisses the whispered, "I missed you so much." she paused to kiss him lightly, "I need you more than I thought I would." before kissing him again. They had been like this for about ten minutes before she began to cry while they kissed. He stopped.

"Kokoro…what is the matter? Are you okay?"

She nodded, "I am happy, these are tears of joy. The sad tears come later." Afterward she started to kiss him again. He placed his hand off of her back onto her side. It was obvious he thought it was awkward but it made her smile, she kissed him a little harder to comfort him, she did not feel right if he was not as comfortable as she was, ever and with just about anything they did together. It worked like it always did, and she put her hand on his cheek and her fingers behind his ear. They stayed like this for a long time before they both pulled away, neither full of breath, both breathing heavily. She was still crying softly, she had never stopped. "See, I am happy. But I need to cry if you will let me."

"Why would I stop you? Let it all out if you need to, Kokoro." She only smiled and put her head on his chest and sat quietly for a few minutes and stopped crying. She was still and starred off at the wall. She kept her arms around his waist and he held her around her shoulders.

"Matthew… I was scared that I would never see you again. I have missed you so badly." She started to cry again, but neither looked at the other. He did not look down and she did not look up. "All I remember was being in your arms and I was going to say something important and I passed out and woke up in this town. In this building's attic, I was found in a field all alone. I was afraid that I would never see you again. I am afraid I will never see my mother again. I am afraid I will never remember what I was going to say. All I have wanted to do is be in your arms since I woke up, I missed you so bad that I would cry myself to sleep this past month. The only thing that kept me sane was the possibility of finding you or mother. They looked for you first, a month ago. And you found me, by my voice no less… I could not be weak. I had to be strong because there was no one else to hold me up, just me. I did not like that at all, I am a girl…sometimes I want to feel weak because I want to be protected, to have someone be there and it was not anyone. Now I can be vulnerable, because you are here to protect me, and be near me. I am at ease now. I am not alone anymore. I am not scared anymore, either. I just want to be in your arms now."

"I am here now, and I am not going anywhere again if I can help it." She cuddled up next to him and sat there for a long time.


	12. Open Your Eyes and Look North

_Honor_

Chapter Four:

Open Your Eyes and Look North

Kokoro and Matthew sat there for a long time in the room, all alone together. She was warm and nearly drifted into sleep again before shaking herself awake and nudging Matthew, who instantly responded. "Yeah?"

"I am hungry, are you?" He nodded, relieved that nothing was wrong. "Alright, I bet there is food downstairs." she said as she sat up and pulled away from Matthew.

"Sounds good." he said wiping the last of her tears from her face. She smiled and touched his hand and held it for a moment before standing up and leading him out by that hand, a smile on her face.

"Let's go eat. I do not want to spend my entire day off here! We will go afterward, is that okay?" she said with a smile as they descended the stairs. Their food was still there, a few of the younger girls still sat at the table and watched them, giggling and leaving as the two sat down to eat. "Have you been eating well?" she asked casually, but obviously still really wanted to know.

"I ate well enough," he said gently, "I am alive after all." Kokoro laughed. "But the month was difficult I guess."

"You had a place to stay right?"

"I did, most of the time." Kokoro stopped eating and looked at him. He looked back at her, after a moment with no reply, "What?"

"So at least one night you did not have a bed to sleep in?"

"Well, in all fairness, I never slept on the street or ground…" he trailed off at her expression of curiosity.

"Well, when you had no bed to sleep in what did you do?"

"I did not sleep." he said plainly with a smile. She put down her chopsticks and placed her hand on his. He gave her a questioning look.

"Matthew, I am sorry that this has been hard for you. I do not want to hear anymore of your hardships of this past month. Not because I do not care about them, or wonder if you made it, you are here after all. I say that because we both know I will feel worse about it. I had a bed and at least two meals a day, every day. It seems that you…" she trailed off for a moment and looked down at her food for several seconds then back up to him, who was still looking at her with a slight smile,"…you did not have that, I feel guilty for that, though I know I did not cause it to be hard for you." He turned his hand over under hers and grasped her hand.

"But I am here now." he said with a smile that comforted her. She nodded and smiled back and they continued eating.

When they had finished the two stood and Kokoro led him outside, it was not even eleven it seemed. The sun was still fairly low in the sky. "I am glad that you woke me up so early, or our day would be nearly gone with all the time we have already spent." He nodded in response. "So what do you want to do?" He shrugged.

"You pick."

"Again? I always have to pick, I want you to decide this time." she sighed heavily. He thought for a second. She interrupted him, "But on second thought there is something I have wanted to do. If that is okay."

"Of course it's okay, Kokoro. What is it?" She smiled.

"I want to go see the field they said I was found in. Maybe there is a clue to where my mother went to." He smiled and nodded.

"It is probably this way." he said walking slowly away. She kept close by his side, closer than she would normally keep herself next to him. "Are you alright? Nothing is wrong is there?" he asked after about ten minutes of walking.

"No, I just want to keep close to you. I missed you a lot. And this is as close to you as I can get to you by this society's opinion, otherwise I would be holding your hand or I would have an arm around you." she said sweetly and matter of factly. He smiled and laughed a little. She turned and looked at him, "What? Why are you laughing at me?"

"Nothing, nothing! I promise it's not bad, but I just missed how you speak."

She paused, "…Really?" He nodded. "I missed how sweet you are. More than I thought I would." she said quietly. The continued walking on, she kept close to him and they reached the outskirts of the market after a few minutes. Matthew took her hand in his, she looked down and back up at him, he was looking ahead and not at her. "What are you doing? You cannot do that here! Someone might see you!" she quietly exclaimed. He let go slowly, and turned to look at her.

"I don't care what they think." he said with a smile. She was silent for a moment.

"Then why did you let my hand go?"

"It seemed like you wanted me to let you go. You know very well I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Well," she paused and looked down at the ground, "that was before I knew how you felt about it. That and you reminded me about how I should feel about this." she said and looked back at him as she slowly entwined her finders between his as she took his hand again. "But this is all we can get away with in public, Matthew. It can get back to Miss Yuki and reflect badly on her." He nodded.

"I wasn't going to try anything else, I just missed holding you hand." he said. She squeezed his hand tightly and kept the pressure up for a long time. He squeezed back, but not as hard. People, especially young girls, had looked at them holding hands. Most giggled, some gave strange looks. Matthew ignored these, Kokoro smiled at them as they walked on.

They finally made it to the field after another twenty minutes of walking. It was wet and muddy off of the roads, still wet from yesterday's heavy rain storm. Kokoro stopped and looked around. She finally turned to Matthew and said gently, "This would be a pretty place for a picnic one day when the weather is better. Do you agree?" He looked down at her with a smile and nodded. She saw a tree near the road a few hundred feet down the road so she led Matthew to it by the hand, and he kept close to her, as if he was worried about something.

When they made it to the tree, she hugged Matthew. He started to protest but she cut him off before he could finish his first word, "Hush. I know I said nothing more than holding your hand, but this is where I was found, oddly enough it is overwhelming. Just hug me for a bit. Okay?" He slid his arms around her and ran his right hand up and down her back the entirety of the time. It always calmed her down. They both noticed this, over their time together. Plus, it seemed like it eased him as well, making the silences that the gesture accompanied easier for them both to bear. They stood like this for what seemed an hour before Kokoro inexplicably began to cry. He looked down at her as she buried her face in his chest. "My heart hurts." she said, her words muffled.

"Do you need a doctor?" he asked with no small amount of concern.

"No, I don't need a doctor." she said through tears. She felt his relief. "I don't know why I am crying either, and I'm sorry I am getting your shirt wet."

"It is perfectly alright."

"He is so sweet." she thought to herself. "Okay." is what she said. He was still stroking her back. She finally looked up at him, and he was smiling down at her. Suddenly he vision was a little blurry, and he felt distant again. She held on tighter and closed her eyes. It didn't bring him any closer, or make him feel that way. This all persisted until she passed out.

She felt her head swimming, and heard him say her name. She opened her eyes to see him over her, worry plastered over his face. It was night now, and he was dressed differently, like he was from a different time, her time. "Matthew?" She said trying to sit up. He touched her shoulder to keep her down, to which she complied. She felt her heart beating very hard and very fast. And she was covered in a cold sweat.

"Yes Kokoro?"

"What happened?"

"I don't know. Something blew up in town though." She looked around and saw the town she was from, fire marked the night sky. She was back. "You passed out and have been sleeping for about ten minutes. Are you okay?" She snapped her eyes back to him.

"I have been sleeping? So it was a dream?" she said quietly.

"Yeah, you looked like you were having a bad dream."

"I had a dream, but it wasn't all bad. I missed you though." He looked at her funny.

"But you are okay, right?"

"Yes, I am okay." she said, and she sat up, he did not stop her this time. She embraced him and kissed him gently, but passionately. "I am very okay." He smiled. "Can you take me to my mother?" He nodded again and helped her up and she leaned on him as he walked with her to her mother, who was talking to a neighbor when Matthew brought her daughter to her.

"She's alright, ma'am." Matthew said quietly, as she released Kokoro, who flew into her mother's arms.

"I'm glad you are okay, Kokoro!" Miyako said louder than she normally spoke. Their neighbor bowed and left.

"I love you mother."

"I love you too." Miyako said, releasing her daughter to stand on her own. Miyako turned to look at Matthew, who was looking on, glad that she was okay, "Matthew did not once get up, her made sure you were okay." Kokoro looked at the young man, who acted like it was nothing, and walked over and slid her arms around his neck and kissed him again.

"I know he was looking out for me. Why wouldn't he?" she said gently, before kissing him again. She then placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I love you Matthew." she said quietly, so only the two of them could hear her words. His arms wrapped around her finally. She fell asleep before he could answer. Matthew looked at her for a moment before looking up at her mother.

"Take her to her room and tuck her in, would you?" Miyako asked gently. Matthew only nodded and picked her up bridal style and walked inside carefully and took her to her room and put her on her bed and tucked her in. As her brought the covers up and made sure she would be comfortable she slowly opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." he whispered. She shook her head.

"It's okay." she whispered back. She took his hand and looked him in the eyes. "Was it too much to say that I love you?" He looked at her for a moment as he gathered his words.

"You meant it?" She nodded. "Then it is perfectly alright."

"You don't have to say it back. I don't imagine you feel it back. I had a dream that showed me that I love you when I passed out… I am sorry if I overstepped my bounds by saying it so early."

He shook his head, "I am glad I know, and while I don't feel it _yet_, I am certain that I _will_ soon. It has only been how long?"

"Less than two weeks…" she said quietly.

"I have a lot of time left then." he said gently. "I really, really like you, Kokoro. I am not very far behind you." She smiled.

"Kiss me." He smiled and leaned down and kissed her gently. As he pulled away she smiled sweetly and yawned. "Good night Matthew, and sleep well. I love you."

"Good night Kokoro, I pray you sleep well." She smiled and raised her head and kissed him again before he stood up and left her room.


	13. Hey You

_The Sweetness_

Chapter One:

"Hey You"

Kokoro woke up in her bed the next morning, the sun shining through her window. She was almost scarred to open her eyes, but she felt the sunshine and so she opened them and peered over at her alarm clock, it was half past ten. She smiled that her "coming back" wasn't a dream but the leaving was the dream. She slid out of bed with energy and a smile, she smelled breakfast too, and she was hungry. She walked down the hall and into the kitchen, he mother turned to her with a cheerful smile.

"Ah, now one of you is awake." Miyako smiled.

"Is Matthew not awake yet?" her mother shook her head. "That's weird, he's usually up by now or at least it seems so."

"He was awake late, I mean early." her mother explained.

"When did he fall asleep?"

"Long after midnight, he put you in your bed at eleven or so."

"Oh. Why?" Kokoro said after a thoughtful pause.

"He wanted to make sure you were ok and that if you needed him, he would be awake." Kokoro smiled.

"Aw, that's really sweet. Isn't it?" Kokoro asked her mother with a smile. Her mother nodded in agreement.

"I told him to go to bed and I would look after you, even though I was tired too, but he noticed I was tired too, I guess and insisted that you _and I_ get some rest and that he will be awake if we needed him."

"And?" Kokoro said after a pause, but spoke when it was evident her mother was done.

"And what? I went to sleep. I took him up on his offer." Miyako said with a thoughtful smile. There was a pause in conversation as Miyako got her daughter's help setting the table. When they were done a few moments later Miyako abruptly hugged Kokoro. "I was worried about you last night. Don't _ever_ scare me like that again. Got it?" Kokoro blinked for a second, but hugged her mother warmly.

"Alright mother, I will do my very best to stay conscious if there should be another explosion or traumatic event in the near future. I'm sorry I passed out this time." she said with warmness, and sarcasm. Her mother squeezed her tightly. "I love you mom."

"I love you too, dear." her mother released her, and took a step back. "Now, breakfast is ready," she paused and looked at the table and then around for anything that she might have missed. "You should go wake up Matthew," Miyako paused briefly again. "And try not to take all morning." she said with a smile. Kokoro smiled and winked at her mother playfully as she backed up and twirled around and skipped down the hall.

When she reached his door she knocked softly, but loud enough for him to maybe hear it. There was no answer, "Hey, Matthew, I'm opening the door." No objection or response again. She slid the door open to find him laying on his bed, but not in it. He wasn't even under the covers, and he was to one side, the side closest to the door. The bed was big enough for two, it was made for two. They had it in case they had a married couple visit them. She went around and crawled on the bad as softly as she could and when she was next to him she slid his head on to her shoulder, he didn't stir so she didn't wake him. "You should get a few more minutes. Mother would understand. Two more minutes isn't all that long to wait, after all." she whispered to him with a smile. After a few minutes she leaned close to his ear and whispered to him, "Matthew," she nudged him and he stirred at the movement and his name, "it's time to get up, okay?" A sleepy moan was all she could get from him, but he made the effort to get up. She smiled. She hugged him as he sat up, "Hey you. Good morning." she said with a smile, her lips to his ear as she spoke. He rubbed his eyes and turned to look at her but she placed her forehead against his to keep him looking ahead.

"Good morning, Kokoro." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled and there was a pause, "What was that for?" he asked playfully.

"Because mom told me you stayed up a long time last night to make sure we could rest." She kissed his cheek again and put her hand to his chin. "Because you are sweet." she said and then she turned his face to hers. He started to speak, but she kissed him on the lips before he could say anything, she kissed with intensity. She pulled away, "And because I can." she said with an elfish smile. "Now come on, breakfast is ready." he nodded and stood and took her hand as she stood up and led him to the hallway and then he followed her to the kitchen. As they go to the table Miyako was already at the table, she was smiling at the two as they entered. Kokoro noticed she, specifically, was being studied. The two sat down.

"Did you sleep well Matthew?"

"I slept well enogh, how did you sleep, ma'am?" he responded cheerfully.

"I was very tired last night, thank you again for staying awake for a little while, but I slept well." Miyako said and turned her attention to her daughter, who was, as usual, mixing fruit juices, "How did you sleep Kokoro?"

"I slept really well, I was exhausted last night. And thank you for staying up, Matthew." she said with a smile and a playful push to his shoulder. He smiled.

"It was nothing, really." Kokoro pushed him again.

"Well, it was a wonderful gesture all the same." Miyako said with a genuine smile. The three of them ate with no major words, they felt as though Matthew knew his actions were well received but it looked as though he did not want to be thanked, but they wanted to thank him. So breakfast was quiet but with smiles, even if one was tired. After breakfast Kokoro took Matthew back to her room.

"Here, lay down." Kokoro said motioning to her, still unmade, bed as she led him in her room. "Go to sleep, you've earned it." He gave her an inquisitive look. "What?"

"I can sleep in the guest room." She turned to him, and took his wrist.

"You could, but I want you to sleep in here. I have some stuff I have to work on, writing and stuff, but I want to spend some time around you today. So will you sleep in here?" she said embracing him. He nodded his head and smiled. "Good, my bed is probably more comfortable anyway." she said putting her nose to his. He smiled but with a raised eyebrow. She pulled away slowly and pushed him on her bad. He fell back, surprised at the push. She stood in front of him and put her hand on his shoulder and made him lay down. "Just sleep, okay?"

"Alright," he said with a smile, "And your bed is comfortable."

"Isn't it?" she leaned down over him. "Despite what it may seem like, it isn't because of the bed itself."

"Oh?"

She put her nose to his again, "Yeah," she paused and just looked in to his eyes for a moment. 'He has pretty green eyes. I wonder what he's thinking,' and she smiled wide. "It's actually because I sleep here. No lie."

"I'll buy that." She kissed him gently, and straighten backup and sat down at the desk next to her bed, a stack of papers on its surface. "You aren't going to let me sleep all day right?" he said after a while of nodding off.

"Nope." she said flatly. The room was silent for a moment. "Matthew," she paused, "did I weird you out with what I said last night?" He sat up to look at her and she turned to look at him, a little surprised.

"What, specifically, did you say? I mean, you said a few different things." She smiled a little, and put down the pen in her hand and stood and moved over to her bed and sat down, he was sitting beside her by the time she sat down. She put her head on his shoulder.

"I said that I love you. Did I say it too early?" He put his arm around her. She looked up at his face. "Well?" she said after a moment of silence.

He finally looked down at her. "You meant it?" She nodded. "You don't regret saying it?""

"No, I meant what I said. I'm just wondering if I should have waited to tell you. If saying it would have been better on the whole."

"Well, honestly I didn't exactly know how to take it at first, but you meant it. As I said last night, as long as you meant what you said, it's perfectly okay." She smiled and slid her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"I meant it." she whispered.

"I know you did." he whispered. "Are you so worried about this?" She nodded. "Why? It's all okay. Don't worry." She squeezed tightly.

"Can I say it again?"

"I would say no to something you wanted to say?"

"I love you, Matthew." He rubber her back. There was a pause as they sat in silence in each other's arms. "Can I take a nap with you? I'm still tired." There was not response other than a slight squeeze. She pulled him down with her and they lay down she rested her head on his shoulder.


End file.
